Butterfly Telescope Growth and Changes

Butterfly Telescope Growth and Changes

My “little” butterflies are growing so fast!  Here’s a side-by-side comparison of them from when I got them in December (left) and now, in March (right).  There have been a few changes… Felix fully outgrew the last of his dark fry coloring and his orange color brightened up, Luca gained a little yellow color from the gel food, and both of them bulked up considerably.

Back in December Luca measured 2.25″ in body length and weighed 35 grams.  Today Luca is 2.75″ in body length and weighs 46 grams.

In December Felix measured 2.25″ in body length and weighed 30 grams.  Today He is 2.75″ in body length and weighs 43 grams.

Their diet has been Saki-Hikari pellets, Repashy Soilent Green, and bloodworms once or twice a week.    They get 3-6 very small meals each day; I try to mimic their natural feeding habit, which is to eat little bits here and there throughout the day.  They’re in 75 gallon tank with two large ryukins and water changes are 90% every 5-7 days.  The water temperature has been 72 degrees F (no heater). 

I need to add some side-view photos as well!  I just finished a photo shoot, but I still need to go through and edit the photos.  It will be quite a task, because there are tons of photos.  From day one, Luca has always been a tall and short fish with a big round belly, while Felix has been more long and narrow.  Their body shapes don’t seem to be changing much as they grow; actually if anything, they are becoming more extreme.  Luca is more round than ever, while Felix keeps looking longer.  Of the two, I much prefer Luca’s body shape.  I think to look their best, butterflies should be as round as possible in all respects; round bodies, round eyes, and rounded fins.  It’s just a more cohesive look.  Luca has much better fin length (Felix’s dorsal especially is way too short) but Felix holds his tail more horizontally which is nice.  I’m noticing though that Felix’s fins seem to be slowly growing into better proportions, so I guess we’ll see how he turns out given more time.  They say goldfish improve with age.  It also seems that once their body growth slows down, the fins continue to grow, so maybe his fin proportions will eventually be just right.

2 Comments

  • A Posted March 19, 2023 6:34 pm

    cool post!!

  • Jenni Posted December 17, 2023 8:14 pm

    extended our comprehension of the universe and opened mankind’s vision past the obvious segment of the electromagnetic range.

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